Alexander Calder's monumental fountain sculpture "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)" has been reinstalled at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new David Geffen Galleries, more than 60 years after it was first commissioned for the museum's original 1965 campus. The colorful, whimsical piece features four water jets that propel mobile-like paddles, and its water jets were turned back on in March 2025. The sculpture now anchors the northeast corner of the new building, placed alongside the main cafe and near the W.M. Keck Education Center, with a technically advanced filtration system to address previous environmental challenges.
The reinstallation matters because it restores a foundational work from LACMA's earliest days to its intended context—surrounded by water and public activity—after decades of problematic placements. The sculpture was one of the museum's first major commissions, and Calder also designed a poster for the museum's opening, embedding his legacy in the institution's identity. The project reflects how museums now routinely commission artists, a practice that was groundbreaking in the 1960s, and demonstrates LACMA's commitment to preserving and reactivating its historical artworks in its new architectural vision by Peter Zumthor.